Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Cloudy Nights - Official Forums of the 2009 International Year of Astronomy Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu.... uh, User   You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Equipment Discussions >> Binoculars Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 rydberg sage Reged: 02/25/04 Posts: 326 Loc: Richmond, KY, USA Oberwerk 8x56: opinions?       #98472 - 04/27/04 05:51 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi: I'd like to buy a pair of decent (but not very expensive, I am afraid) binoculars for my wife. She is into birding, but I'd like to be able to use them occasionally for sky watching. She wears glasses (and so do I), so good eye relief is somewhat important. I have read good reviews about the Oberwerks in their bigger sizes, but does anybody have experience with the smaller 8x56? On paper they appear pretty good (24mm eye relief), with a sensible price. Any opinions? Thanks! Marco -------------------- Oberwerk 11x56 pentax PCF WP II 20x60 Garrett Optical 20x80 IF Gemini 8" LX90 f/10 Vixen ed80sf, Orion 80mm f/11 guidescope Lxd55, Atlas eq-g Celestron NexImage Orion Deep Space Starshoot as a imager Meade DSI pro as a guider. Post Extras:       KennyJ Reged: 04/27/03 Posts: 10142 Loc: Lancashire UK Re: Oberwerk 8x56: opinions? [Re: rydberg]       #98491 - 04/27/04 06:44 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Marco, Living in the UK , sadly I have no hands -on experiences with ANY of the Oberwerk lines , but if in your predicament I would give consideration to the 8 x 42s as opposed to the 8 x 56s. The 8 x 42s are phase -coated , water -proof and little more than half the weight of the 56mm. The 42mm has 20mm eye -relief ( stated ) which ought to be more than adequate for eyeglass wearers. I would imagine that with as much as 24mm eye -relief , "black-outs" or "kidney -beaning" could easily become a problem until one gets used to them. Field of view of both 8x models is stated as being the same at 6 degrees, which is admittedly quite ( if not very )narrow for a 8x glass, particularly when the 12 x 60 Oberwerk has a 5.7 degree TFOV ! The 42mm ARE $30 more expensive as a result , but that seems little extra to pay for the above -mentioned advantages. The 10 x 50 waterproof model might also be worth thinking about , all things considered. Regards , Kenny. -------------------- Two eyes and a preference to use both Zeiss 7 x 42 BGAT Captain's Helmsman 7 x 50 Nikon 10 x 42 Superior E Swift Audubon Kestrel 10 x 50 Helios 15 x 70 Observation Strathspey 20 x 90 Televue 76 APO Zeiss 85 Diascope Helios 102 f5 refractor Various eyepieces barlows tripods mounts etc. Panasonic Lumix DMC - TZ5 digital camera Post Extras:       Rusty Postmaster Reged: 08/06/03 Posts: 16397 Loc: Brooker, FL Re: Oberwerk 8x56: opinions? [Re: KennyJ]       #98607 - 04/27/04 09:39 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I think the 8x56s are an excellent bargain - there's plenty of ER (for me with glasses, anyway); they're my all-around binocs....I use 'em for terrestrial and sometimes for stargazing (although my other gear usually pushes the 8x56s to the sidelines at night.) -------------------- N11GPS Fastar TOA-130S MK66 Std Vintage C5 Megrez II 80mm ED Triplet APO SolarMax 40 NJP Temma II Sirius EQ-G ST8XE/CFW-8(LRGBHa)/AO-7/DF-2/STV Dlx/ST237a/350D (Unmodded)/Mallincam Color Hyper Plus/DSI III Color/DSI II Pro Two not-spoiled Golden Retrievers - Maggie and Casey Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering. - Arthur C. Clarke Post Extras:       StarWars Postmaster Reged: 11/26/03 Posts: 11634 Loc: At The Movies Re: Oberwerk 8x56: opinions? [Re: rydberg]       #99501 - 04/29/04 01:40 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   For the same money I would go with the 11X56 or the 10X50. Post Extras:       Anonymous Unregistered . [Re: StarWars]       #99527 - 04/29/04 02:50 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   If these binocs are going to be used more for birding than astro, I think your wife will be happier with 8x40 or 8x42 porro prism binocs, with a wider real and apparent field of view, and is smaller and lighter (and some are waterproof). Post Extras:       Anonymous Unregistered Re: Oberwerk 8x56: opinions? [Re: rydberg]       #104010 - 05/07/04 02:07 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hi Marco, I had such a glass - here in Germany the brand ist TS - and I gave it back to the dealer. Main raesons were: REFLEXES and SHARPNESS Regarding reflexes it was so bad near moon and Jupiter, always were double images there. The sharpness is only within the inner 60-70% of the field good. However, the market of 8x56 glasses ist small, if you want to get an acceptable fov. I know only the Zeiss Victory 8x56, but the price ist around 1.000 Euro. I would agree with Patrick and to buy a smaller one. A good hint is the Minolta Sports 8x42. It has a huge fov (more than 8°), is usable with glasses. Andreas Post Extras:       Pages: 1 Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 13 registered and 18 anonymous users are browsing this forum. 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